Terabase Energy Secures $130 Million to Expand Solar Technology Deployment

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Terabase Energy, a company specializing in solar technology, announced on Thursday that it has raised $130 million in funding, led by SoftBank, to scale its operations and expand the deployment of its solar technology for large projects. This funding round is the largest in the company’s history, bringing its total funding to $200 million. While the company did not disclose its valuation during this round, the investment highlights strong investor confidence in its future.

Despite solar and energy storage accounting for 84% of new electricity generation capacity added to the U.S. power grid in 2024, the sector is facing challenges due to new U.S. energy policies that continue to support fossil fuels. Additionally, venture funding in the U.S. has been relatively quiet in early 2025, with a few AI-focused companies capturing most of the spotlight.

Terabase Energy’s platform collaborates with solar power plant developers, engineers, and construction firms, streamlining processes through workflow digitalization and automation. The company plans to use part of its new funding to enhance its robotics-assisted assembly line, Terafab, designed to alleviate “bottlenecks in construction speed and workforce limitations.”

In addition, Terabase operates PlantPredict, a solar modeling software, and Construct, a construction management platform. Kentaro Matsui, managing partner at SoftBank Global Advisers, highlighted that the surge in energy demand, particularly from AI data centers, underscores the need for scalable and sustainable solutions.

SoftBank, which is known for financing early-stage technology companies, also supported Terabase through its Vision Fund 2. Other existing investors in the company include Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Fifth Wall, SJF Ventures, and EDP Ventures.

Italy Tests Starlink Antennas in Embassies, No National Security Deal Yet

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Italy has begun testing Starlink antennas in four of its embassies globally, marking an early experiment in securing communications for government officials, but has not yet entered into any formal national security contract with Elon Musk’s Starlink. According to Luca Ciriani, the country’s Minister for Parliamentary Relations, the antennas are part of trials to test their functionality but are not currently active for official communication.

The right-wing government of Italy is exploring solutions to guarantee encrypted communications between diplomats and defense officials, particularly in high-risk regions. Starlink has emerged as one of the potential providers, but the government’s discussions with Musk’s company have raised concerns. Critics, particularly opposition politicians, have voiced strong opposition, questioning the prudence of allowing a foreign businessman with ties to U.S. President Donald Trump to handle a sensitive aspect of the nation’s security.

As of now, the antennas have been installed in embassies in Burkina Faso, Bangladesh, Lebanon, and Iran, but none have been used for active communication. The government confirmed that the antennas were only activated for testing purposes, with plans to suspend and potentially reactivate them when needed.

Ciriani emphasized that the antennas would not be used to transmit classified information and that Italy has not entrusted any critical infrastructure to Starlink. The trials have been conducted through third-party contracts, not a direct agreement between Italy and SpaceX, the parent company of Starlink.

Starlink, with a constellation of 6,700 satellites, is the leading player in the satellite communications industry. However, Eutelsat, a Franco-British competitor managing around 650 low Earth orbit satellites, is also in discussions with the Italian government. Reports suggest that Italy is considering a potential five-year contract worth 1.5 billion euros ($1.63 billion) for satellite communication services.

Apollo Hospitals Plans Increased Investment in AI to Alleviate Staff Workload

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Apollo Hospitals, one of India’s largest hospital networks, is intensifying its use of artificial intelligence (AI) to alleviate the heavy workload faced by doctors and nurses. The company plans to automate routine tasks like medical documentation, aiming to free up valuable time for healthcare professionals.

With over 10,000 beds across its hospitals, Apollo is increasingly adopting AI to enhance diagnostic accuracy, predict patient risks, and streamline hospital operations. The use of AI is also helping improve precision in robotic surgeries and facilitating virtual medical care. Sangita Reddy, Apollo’s Joint Managing Director, shared that the company had allocated 3.5% of its digital spending to AI over the past two years and intends to further increase this investment in the coming year.

Apollo’s AI tools, which are still in the experimental phase, will analyze electronic medical records to suggest diagnoses, treatment plans, and tests. Additionally, AI will assist in transcribing doctors’ observations, generating discharge summaries, and creating nurses’ schedules from notes. The hospital chain is also developing an AI tool to recommend the most effective antibiotic treatments for patients’ conditions.

The company has set an ambitious goal of expanding its bed capacity by one-third over the next four years, with a portion of the revenue from these new additions being reinvested into AI tools without increasing overall costs. This initiative is part of a broader strategy to tackle the 25% nurse attrition rate, which is expected to rise to 30% by the end of fiscal 2025.

Despite the challenges of high technology costs, diverse data formats, and limited availability of electronic medical records, other major Indian hospital chains like Fortis Healthcare, Tata Memorial, and Max Healthcare are also incorporating AI tools to improve their services. However, according to Joydeep Ghosh, a partner at Deloitte India, accelerating AI adoption remains difficult due to concerns around profitability and operational hurdles.